Profile: Etur Usheo

About

So basically I’m located somewhere in the south of Germany. Man, I really hate those bios… to make it short, I have enjoyed going out and partying to electronic music from a young age. I started to produce real shitty music in the beginning and I probably annoyed the shit out of everybody because I proudly showed it around, haha. But yeah, some years later and we are here. I think my music got a bit better, at least production wise.

Now I’m stuck somewhere in producing disco-esque, dusty house, classic Chicago / Detroit sounds and some more organic and funky or weird tracks. Also, I make acid and breaks from time to time, but lately I’ve grown an interest in funk, RnB and hip-hop, so there will definitely be some productions in these directions in the future. DJing wise, I would say I’m a classic old-school vibe house DJ, banging drums, catchy samples and classic sounding gear. Listening and making music is for now just a hobby, but who knows what the future brings!

Tracks supported:

One of the parties I am playing regularly at a local club in Nuremberg. When we first got into the city with this disco and funk-infused party there was such an incredible atmosphere, basically, everybody in this club was part of a huge family. Everybody enjoyed it to the fullest and you could see all the people Skilling the whole night. Incredible.

Who would you like to go B2B with?

David Guetta, haha. Nah, joking aside… I guess would be some of the old house dons. I really like their mixing skills and ability to layer and mix tracks together and out. Also, I guess I would love their record collection, with all the gems they collected over the years.

Who would you like to collaborate on a track with?

Would be J Dilla, because of his super versatile production style. Personally, I can’t get enough of his productions, as they are so beautiful to listen to and all the techniques he used. He would’ve been such a good partner, just to see what could’ve done on a house beat.

The way how you can lose yourself into the repetitive grooves and easy-going melodies. I am mainly referring to Techno at this point, but after getting familiar with this genre, I moved on to house styles and more mellow, more funkier and uplifting styles. I guess techno became too melancholic and serious for me. Electronic music itself and club nights, in general, I think should be an uplifting experience.

Which artists do you listen to the most for inspiration or enjoyment?

I used to listen to a lot of Kerri Chandler & co for classic house inspirations, also the guys from Dancemania, who got a fuckin massive dirty style of mixing, which I like in a way. For the funky and weird stuff, Fouk & the M$R crew.

Why do you enjoy producing electronic music?

It’s a good way for me to get a clear head. Once you get a good Track, there are few things as satisfying as seeing people dance to your track. Also, I feel a bit nerdy on the production site, so every time I learn something new I’m happy as a small child that has discovered something cool.

Old Nervous Records, Old Defected, Dancemania, also some newer stuff like Church & Toy Tonics…never disappoints.

If you could meet any person from the underground music scene who would it be?

I guess Max Graef. Because I heard he’s a super nice guy, despite being relatively young he has such a strong output. So I would be happy to share a couple of beers and discuss music, production and life with him haha.

What is your favourite club and why?

Hard to say, I haven’t seen that many clubs yet, but if I have to choose one, I would say Loftus Hall in Berlin. Super friendly people and very underground atmosphere. Also, super good music when the guys from Relationshop take over.

What is your go-to guilty pleasure track and why?

Would be something from Armand Van Helden “My My My” / “U Don’t Know Me” / “I Want Your Soul”. Super club weapons, that work all the time, they are funky, they bang and got that sweet old-school flavour.

Which came first for you, producing or DJing.
Do you prefer one medium more over the other?

Producing definitely. I just had no idea how to get any gigs or where to play, so I did my music stuff for my self until I met some people and started to spin vinyl first. Getting a bit more experienced with turntables and stuff, my music on Soundcloud was supported by some bigger YouTube channels that’s when people contacted me for the first time to play at a party after discovering my music online.

What is the music scene like in Nuremberg at the moment?

Basically where I am living we have one club which I don’t like too much because it’s super commercial. So no cool bookings just the average Joe’s music. If you look a bit further for bigger towns (Nuremberg/Munich) there you have a lot of cool people throwing cool parties. Slowly Disco & other subgenres flying under the radar for a long time emerge again and you will hear more and more good music playing in the bars and clubs again.

Which clubs do you like to play at and why?

Baum Bogota and Concrete Paris, I’ve seen so many incredible videos from both clubs and the crowd was mental at both places.

If you could offer one piece of advice to new DJ/Producers what would it be?

Be patient and keep going even if it feels super hard in the beginning. Also, don’t force yourself into some genre. Keep doing what you like, not what others expect from you.

Can you describe your idea of an ideal DJ set, what tracks would you include?

For me, the ideal DJ Set is an uplifting journey, because people just wanna have a good time. So essential are tracks that keep the crowd moving, could be disco/funk or some recent “hits”. After getting a feeling for what works, I normally experiment a bit more to reach the limits of what is playable on that night. Sometimes I’ll stick with dusty groovy house, sometimes I’ll get more weird, acid, 80s electro, etc, but most of the time it’s a surprising mixture of the stuff mentioned before.

What was the first single/record/album that really meant something to you?

Mhm hard to say, I guess it was one of the first KEINEMUSIK vinyl records I bought. I really loved them back then, not as much as nowadays, but they still sound top and you can play them everywhere. It was something in their productions that was super organic, and groovy still deep and hypnotic yet. I was really wondering how you could combine those two elements in a track. Still didn’t found out 100%how to do that.

How did you learn how to produce?

After getting my first equipment (Ableton Push 1 with Ableton Lite), I watched a lot of YouTube videos of my favourite artists at that time and a lot of How To’s in general. For me it was a mixture of learning by doing, as I had no mentor, but with todays options the internet is your best friend. What’s also good is to not only focus on one genre because production workflow of another genre may come in handy one day.

Are you involved with a label or imprint?

I don’t have a label or crew yet. But I feel very close to the guys over at Bon Appetite Records, because they are a supporting bunch of people most of the time, haha. All I can say that the group came together through the internet and groups like the Analog Flava & co.

How would you describe your production style and overall sound?

Personally, I would describe my sound like a mixture of dusty or sample based (vinyl) with either classy or lately funkier synths sounds. It changed a lot coming from a classic house, now I’m even doing some funk and hip-hop stuff. Overall it’s a bit gritty/crunchy and mostly warm and vintage sounding.